As another surge of COVID-19 and a crushing health worker shortage once again push our nation’s hospitals to the brink, Canada’s doctors and nurses are calling attention to the need for national pharmacare. Had the federal government followed the advice it received from its own Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, essential medicines … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions released the results of a new survey conducted by Viewpoints Research from Nov. 22-Dec. 20, 2021, before the exponential growth of Omicron. More than 80 per cent of the nurses who responded report insufficient staffing, and over 60 per cent said quality of care has declined over the past year. … Read more
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda Silas and Canadian Nurses Association President Tim Guest published an open letter: “Critical staff shortages are challenging expected standards of care due to increasing patient-to-nurse ratios and re-deployment of staff […] How can decision-makers help?” they said. “Governments must work together […] to immediately negotiate innovative strategies that include financial incentives such as wages and … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unions is calling on governments to immediately adopt circuit-breaker measures to slow down community spread of Omicron. “As unpalatable as it sounds, we need to bring back the strategies that helped us beat back earlier waves,” said Linda Silas, CFNU president, who said governments have failed to prioritize health care workers for … Read more
As ministers of health meet on Jan. 6 to discuss the most recent upheaval caused by COVID-19, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions is again imploring governments to provide the most basic protections for frontline health care workers. “It’s maddening that we are still fighting for N95s at this stage of the pandemic,” said CFNU President Linda … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions has written a letter calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.), Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos (Québec, Que.) and Treasury Board President Mona Fortier (Ottawa-Vanier, Ont.) to introduce a national, universal single-payer, public pharmacare program, as recommended by its own Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, in the Economic and … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions welcomes the federal government’s announcement of new legislation intended to protect health care workers from violence at work. “Nurses’ unions are pleased that the government is committing to tackling rampant violence against health care workers with the introduction of Bill C-3,” said Linda Silas, CFNU President. “This is an essential measure that … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions praised an Oct. 5 emergency summit convened by the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association to address a health care system brought to its knees by the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Canada needs urgent action from our governments to provide reprieve to frontline health workers and … Read more
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions released its guide to federal platforms, revealing a lack of clear and sufficient commitments to fix the nursing shortage and repair deep cracks in the country’s health care system that have been worsened by the pandemic. “The nursing shortage has reached a critical level, yet the best election promises … Read more
Canada’s nurses are demanding governments take bold concrete steps to counter the third wave of COVID-19. To flatten the curve and give ICUs some reprieve, governments need to take decisive and aggressive action, including ramping down non-urgent care, limiting international and inter-provincial travel, and beefing up immunization, with an increased focus on fully vaccinating frontline nurses, health … Read more
